It was Always the Music
by Kazet
Summary: slash 6X2 Zechs offers to help Duo get Heero to notice him. 6X2 as part of afore mentioned mission: make Heero jealous. Things don't go quite as planned.
1. Duo can sing!

It was Always the Music

A/N: Well I still don't feel like I should add on to Dear Diary, even though I have had a couple requests for that. I feel as though I'd completely wreck it. So. I've decided to work on a different story which will have more than one chappy. There will also be two versions of it. One for those die-hard Heero/Duo fans and one for Zechs/Duo. The original idea for it started out with Zechs and Duo, quite on accident mind you. I'm a die-hard 1X2 pairing myself. Anyway, I'll write the 1+2 version first to please the readers. Then I'll do the real version. Either way… ENJOY! *MWA* hehe obvious I like the stories about how they get together, ne?

Disclaimer: Obviously they aren't mine cause if they were then this would be published wide spread and everyone who watches Gundam Wing would have read this story or seen this episode or whatnot. 

**-~*^*~-**

"But, I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell. I know right now you can't tell," Duo sang to himself as he shuffled through the cupboards searching for something to eat. He was glad for the silence of the house. He never could sing while the others were around. He was too self conscious. They would have been upset with him anyway for being distracted more than they already believed him to be. When the other pilots were around, he purposely butchered all the songs he sang. He didn't want them to guess that he truly loved singing. He was surprisingly good at it and sang perfectly on pitch, which would have made anyone who knew him stop and stare with their mouths hanging open. Of course, if anyone had told anyone about it, they would have been asked if they were feeling alright. 

Duo was notorious for his horridly off key singing. But it had to be kept a secret. They already thought he was immature and didn't take much of anything serious. If they found out that he wanted to become the lead singer of a band after the war ended, he'd die of embarrassment. They'd never take him seriously as a pilot again. He'd just be some hopeless dreamer.

Duo sighed. Even _he_ thought he was a hopeless dreamer. He doubted that he'd even live through the war to begin with and if he did there was little chance that he'd make it anywhere with a singing career.

"I beg to differ. Your reputation precedes you. You are far more crazy than you are unwell," the tall blonde grinned at the younger man who had spun around sharply at the first sound of his voice. Apparently the boy had been so engrossed in his song that he had never heard him coming. It wasn't much of a surprise that his guard was down. No one knew where the safe house was, let alone that anyone was there. Well... Someone knew. Releena. She always knew where Heero was. It had been easy to find Heero's file in his sister's office. The last known residence was this safe house, but currently the boy was on a mission. Only pilot 02 was presently using it. That was fine by him. Heero would likely shoot him on sight anyway. This way, he had a chance to outsmart his dear sister. 

"Matchbox 20, am I correct?" he smiled reassuringly at the gundam pilot who nodded slowly, his back pressed against the wall near the counter. The 02 pilot was obviously unarmed, but Zechs wasn't there to fight. In fact he had no idea why he was at that particular safe house. Wait. Yes he did. He was hiding out from Releena. This was the last place she would think to look for him, if she _ever thought of it at all. He hoped not. _

"I... I'm surprised you've heard of 'em," Duo whispered nervously. He didn't like this one bit. It wouldn't be hard for Marquise to overpower him. He glanced around almost frantically for some sort of weapon. He had an idea and started inching to his right. If he could just get to the drawer with the knives, he would probably be alright.

Zechs knew the other four pilots were all out on missions for the next few days. Hopefully by that time he'd be able to get the pilot Shinigami to trust him. He wished he could remember the fey creature's name... something that started with a D... Oh yes, Duo! Yes, that was it. Duo. He remembered Releena muttering about him and how he had shot Heero and was always hanging around her Heero. "Old band... good though," he smiled warmly and chuckled. "I enjoy them as well. You look like a scared rabbit, 02. I'm not here to fight or to spy. I'm here because Releena is becoming more of a nuisance than usual. You know how she can be," Zechs Marquise gave an elegant shrug, moving over to take an apple from the basket on the counter.

"How do you know I won't kill you?" Duo asked suspiciously, stepping away from the wall. If he was going to die, it wouldn't be as a coward. Even a street rat had his pride. He picked up the sandwich he had made before Zechs had appeared, taking a bite as he watched the Sank heir. He chewed thoughtfully, head titled slightly to the side. He leaned against the counter in a deceptively casual pose. The knife drawer was situated directly behind his hip, easily accessible. Zechs did seem sincere enough and he wasn't at a lack for honour. He played fair, so maybe what he said was the truth. Duo never had seen him as being particularly evil, just mislead. But he'd be cautious none the less.

Zechs took a bite of the apple as Duo studied him. "If you have any honour, you would not kill me. Not when I am unarmed and come in search of peace. No one, except for you and I, knows that I am here, nor will anyone except for the other gundam pilots when they return. 02, Treize is dead. The men in charge do not hold the same moral values as I. I am no longer a loyal member of OZ. Is that a sufficient enough answer, songbird?" Zechs smirked as the braided pilot blushed a deep crimson having been caught singing and reminded of it. He had been surprised to find the rich sweet voice coming from the pilot instead of the radio. It was hard to believe that such a loud obnoxious American could produce such a pleasant sound.

"You do understand that I cannot trust you implicitly, but… I will give you a chance to prove your sincerity... and don't, call me songbird," Duo pouted to himself, turning away from the man to face the counter, leaning his elbows upon it and staring into the living room through the window while he finished off his sandwich.

"But you are a songbird. A lovely songbird," Zechs cooed in the smaller boy's ear, his soft breath stirring the loose hair and making the boy tremble. He inhaled the sweet scent of lavender before gently nipping the pilot's ear. "So lovely, Duo."

"Marquise!" Duo squeaked, jerking upright and incidentally straight into the man's arms. He made a soft sound of distress as he spun around to face the man, pressing back against the counter, trying to put as much distance between them as he could.

"Hmm?" ice blue eyes widened innocently as if he had done nothing out of the ordinary. But the look was soon replaced with something darker, baser. "Very desirable..." he nuzzled Duo's neck for a moment before smiling at the boy. "You should think about singing as a career when the war is over. You would do well. It would be a shame to let such a beautiful voice go to waste."

Duo whimpered. This was simply too much for him. Zechs was speaking the words he had so desperately wanted to hear. Zechs was the enemy... but was he still? And what about Heero? Heero! Duo ducked under the blonde's arm and dashed across the room out of reach. "Marquise, no. I don't like you like that and I doubt I ever will. There's someone else."

"Oh? Who?" Zechs raised an eyebrow in curiosity. There went his idea that the gundam pilots weren't human... although he still wondered about 01 and 03. Duo appeared to be the most human of them all, complete with flaws. The Winner boy was human alright, but far too perfect. Yes, 02 was by far the most realistic of the five.

"Yeah, right. Like I'd tell you, man. That would give you an advantage over me and at this point, I still don't trust ya. No 'fense. I mean this is a war and all and you are, were, whatever, on the other side," the pilot kept edging away slowly trying not to make it noticeable.

"That's reasonable. You're not dating him are you?" He finished off his apple and chucked the core into a nearby waste basket. Might as well get to know the boy if he was going to be staying with him for a while.

"No," Duo gave a dejected sigh. He most definitely was not dating Heero Yuy. He'd most likely be dead if it were up to Yuy. "He barely talks to me no matter what I do." Now why had he just told him that? Duo no baka! Duo groaned inwardly. Someone needed to seal his mouth shut if he had any hope of keeping his mouth shut about his personal like. 

"... I could help you out if you'd like. Make him jealous enough to notice you... I wouldn't push you into doing anything you didn't want to. We'd only go as far as you were willing to go. I don't know if you're a virgin or not, but if you are, I'd understand you wanting to wait for him..." he watched as the pilot thought about the possibility for a few moments. At this point he was willing to do anything to get the pilot to let him stay. Besides it wasn't like he wasn't attracted to the boy. Who wouldn't be?

"You... you'd do that for me?" violet eyes widened causing the owner to look younger and more innocent than he truly was. Zechs was amazed at the deception the boy could pull off with his expressions alone. No wonder he blended in so well in a crowd despite his braid. This was a boy not to be underestimated, no matter what the rumors said. Rumors were often wrong and Zechs' gut instincts were telling him that the ones concerning 02 had no basis in fact.

He nodded once. "Yes, I would. I'd like for us to become friends. Friends do that sort of thing for each other. Since I don't know who this mystery love is, we should spend the few days we have alone together getting used to each other. That way, it will hopefully not be too awkward when the others come."  

"Al-alright..." Duo whispered somewhat shyly and nodded. He held his ground as the man crossed the room, stopping directly in front of him. He knew what was coming and Zechs was giving him time to change him mind if he still wanted to. His eyes drifted shut as the blonde's face neared his own. If this would eventually get Heero to notice him, he'd do it. Nothing else he had tried had worked so far. He slowly brought his hands up Zechs' chest and around the man's neck. He sighed as Marquise's lips moved intimately over his own. It was pleasant enough, but he still wished it were Heero.

TBC…

So? How was it so far?

Can you tell I crave feedback? I haven't written very much before and what I have, I hated, but I'm pleased with this one and Dear Diary. So... PLEASE tell me what you think. I don't like continuing stuff if no one likes it.


	2. Surprise! A New Gundam Pilot

**Author's Note:** Hola readers. Hehehe. I am soooooo sorry! What happened was I accidentally uploaded the wrong file. One was an idea for this fic and the second was from someone else's fic. If you never saw that terrible embarrassing accident be thankful! Neway. Here's the real chapter and I'll try working on the formatting of my fics. Thanks so much to those who pointed the problem out to me! I love you all! I really like this fic so far so I really hope others do too. I don't have a beta reader so bear with me and feel free to point out errors. Anyway on to the fic and ENJOY! Me loves ev'yone who reads the story!

Disclaimer: I've already answered this. If I didn't own the charas in the first chappy I don't own them now.

Hehe. PS- This chappy is dedicated to Shaeric Draconis for being my first reviewer. Hehe she was also nice enough to review another one of my fics too! *MWA*

**-~*^*~-**

"Hey Tro, Quat!" Duo called exuberantly as he hopped down from his gundam. "Long time no see!" He waved and ran over to the other two pilots, receiving a nod from the tall Latin and a warm hello from the pilot's smaller lover. Duo raced past them into the safe house searching for his 'koi.' He grinned when he caught sight of the beautiful man sprawled out on the couch. He stopped running when it dawned on him that his friend was sleeping, and began to tiptoe quietly over to him. He carefully straddled the man's lap, leaning down and kissing him gently before tickling him mercilessly. Zechs woke with a loud screech, and bolted upright.

"Wha?! Where's the emergency?!" Zechs panted, blinking at Duo in confusion. "Oh, it's you, koi. Stop that!" He laughed shoving Duo's hands away from him. "Welcome back. Everything go alright?"

"Yup!" Duo grinned manically before nuzzling the blonde's neck. "Missed you."

The ex-OZ official wrapped his arms around Duo's waist, bestowing a kiss on his friend knowing that they were being watched, but not minding. It was easy to act so affectionate with the little braided pilot. It was harder not to, and he wondered how Duo's crush had managed to remain so aloof.

Quatre made an embarrassed squeaking sound in an effort to gain their attention. Duo blinked and glanced over at the petit blonde and immediately blushed. From Quatre's point of view his position over Marquise's lap looked worse than it really was and he was glad to know that it wasn't quite what it looked like. After all, Duo wouldn't do anything that blatantly sexual in front of them.

"Duo. What is going on?" Trowa asked calmly. There was no way Duo could possibly be as stupid as he acted. How would he have survived as a Gundam pilot, let alone be chosen as one if he were? Zechs wasn't on their side last he knew. But maybe Duo knew something they didn't.

"Tro, Quat. Meet Zechs Marquise, my partner in crime," Duo bounced excitedly on the man's lap, throwing his arms around his neck and giving him a loud sloppy kiss on the blonde's cheek. Zechs rolled his eyes and smiled at the pilots 03 and 04.  Trowa raised an articulate eyebrow as Quatre again blushed at the blatant show of affection between the two. "It's alright. He can be trusted," Duo quickly assured the two.

And that was is. Zechs had easily been accepted by the pair, provided that he do his fair share of the work around the house, such as cooking and his own laundry. He may have been a prince, but no one was going to wait on him.

**-~*^*~-**

"It isn't one of them is it?" Zechs asked sometime later after everyone had settled in for the night. "It's obvious that they're together. I wouldn't feel right about splitting them up," Zechs wrapped strong arms around the boy's smaller frame, running his hand up and down the boy's arm absentmindedly.

"No it isn't either of them. They were meant for each other. It's... It's Heero," Duo whispered softly, curling into the embrace.

"Ah. I thought it might be him. How long have you been in love with him?" he ran his hand up Duo's arm and along his cheek, brushing the long bangs out of the boy's eyes.

"I... I'm not sure... There was just always something about him from that first day on. Zechs?" Duo asked somewhat hesitantly as he rested his head on the man's bare chest.

"Hmm?" came the sleepy reply.

"Do you think this will ever work?" Duo looked up at him with wide luminous eyes.

"I cannot tell yet. Ask me again after Heero has returned."

Duo nodded against the man's chest and drifted off shortly after, his cheek resting over the steadily beating heart.

**-~*^*~-**

Duo woke with a start, but remained motionless so as not to alert the intruder that he was awake. He heard the distinct click of the safety being taken of a gun and immediately pushed Marquise off of the opposite side of the bed, just as the shot rang out. Duo gritted his teeth as he felt the bullet scrape across the flesh of his arm. Thankfully, he hadn't been too much in the way and it had only grazed the skin, flying past him to embed itself in the wall behind him. He reached under the pillow, whipping out his own gun, aiming it straight at the shooter's heart. 

He clenched his teeth as he heard Zechs shuffle around on the floor and moan in pain. 'Well, it was either that or let him get shot.' Duo snorted to himself. If this were any less serious, he would have enjoyed laughing at Zechs' misfortune. Instead he hissed out a harsh "stay down, Zechs." He heard all movements behind him stop, thankful that he wouldn't have to worry about his friend. He reached over and turned on the light without ever moving the gun away from the room's unknown occupant. He blinked in surprise, lowering the gun. "Heero?"

Pilot 01 glared past Duo to the man on the floor. How dare he encroach upon what was his?! Duo was his whether he knew it or not. Apparently he didn't, but he'd remedy that as soon as the war ended. It was too dangerous to start anything before then. "Duo, what the hell is going on?" Heero snarled.

"You just tried to shoot my boyfriend. That's what's going on," Duo growled dangerously. He couldn't allow Heero to hurt Zechs. He didn't deserve that. "I don't suggest trying that again," he growled softly.

Duo looked over his shoulder as he felt warm arms envelope him. He sighed and leaned back into the embrace, relishing it. Why did he love Heero when Marquise was so much better for him? "Heero, this is Zechs. I believe the two of you have met previously. No matter what you have heard about him before, he can be trusted and you are to treat him as you would any of the other Gundam pilots. Dr. G has agreed to take him on. Now. Get out of my room," Duo glared at the stunned pilot until said boy finally stiffened, turned and left the room. 

Duo sighed tiredly and turned back to Zechs. "I am sorry about that. I was expecting him to come during breakfast, not in the middle of the night. You're alright, ne?" Duo looked up at him, worry clearly written in his eyes.

"Yes, songbird. I'm fine, but you aren't. Now let me take care of that arm," Zechs ignored the protests as he cleaned the wound gingerly before wrapping Duo's bicep with some sterile gauze. "It should be alright in a day or two. Get back to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be one hell of a day."

**-~*^*~-**

"Heero! I can't believe you sometimes! Honestly, why the hell did you try to shoot him?" Duo glared in outrage at the Japanese pilot, who sipped at his coffee completely unphased. 

"I thought he was an intruder," Heero shrugged nonchalant.

Duo snorted in disbelief. "We were sleeping, Yuy," he carefully put emphasis on every syllable trying to get his point across. "An enemy would not sleep, they'd kill. I _know you have more commons sense than that. After all you _are_ The Perfect Soldier."_

"Hn," Heero turned ignoring the pilot and dumping his mug into the sink for someone to clean later.

"Don't give me that crap! I know as well as you do that you never once thought he was an intruder. I think you're just jealous!" Duo tossed the stunned pilot a cocky grin as he sauntered out of the kitchen.

**-~*^*~-**

"How long has that been going on?" Heero growled softly, indicating the pair at the counter working on dinner.

"Since before we got here. Why?" Quatre asked secretly amused. He knew exactly why Heero was cross, and Quatre thought it served the boy right. If you didn't reach out and grab something, someone else would. Heero hadn't acted on his feelings for the hyperactive pilot so someone else had. Actually, Quatre was happy for the couple. They fit together rather well in his opinion.

Heero shot a glare over towards the blonde who was standing with his arms encircling _his _Duo. When the war was over, the man was going to pay.

**-~*^*~-**

Over the next few months Zechs was sent on numerous missions. If it was dangerous, Zechs was given it. No one questioned the scientists' judgment, but it put Duo on edge. It was suspicious, it was as if the scientists were trying to keep Zechs away from him and force him closer to Heero. Violet eyes widened as a thought stuck him. Maybe Heero had put the scientists up to it. Duo wouldn't put it past him.

He snarled as he stood up from the kitchen table, the chair he had been occupying toppling over onto the floor. "Heero! Where the fuck are you?!" He stormed out of the room towards the stoic pilot's room.

Heero turned away from his laptop calmly as Duo entered the room with a slam of the door hitting the wall as it was flung open. "What do you want, Duo?"

"You put them up to it didn't you?!" Duo glared as Heero merely arched an eyebrow in question. "You know as well as I do that the scientists are running Zechs ragged. He should not be going on so many missions while the rest of us have plenty of time to spare."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Heero monotoned, turning back to his laptop. He stiffened as his senses registered the cool touch of the barrel of Duo's gun against the back of his neck.

"Fix it Heero. Tell the scientists to stop," Duo's voice remained deadly calm. He meant business. Tense muscles relaxed when Heero did as he was bid, the gun replaced as the send button was tapped. "Don't try that again Heero. You don't know what you're doing," Duo bit out icily before retreating to his own room.

Duo flopped onto his bed, flinging his arm over his face. This was not good. He wanted Heero, but lately he'd started to think of Zechs as well.

**TBC…**


	3. Band Time!

**Author's Note: Well I finally got another chapter up. I'm so sorry it took this long! I had half of it written almost a few weeks ago, but I didn't get a chance to finish it because of exams. Now that they're over, hopefully I'll be able to work more on all of my stories. Enjoy! And don't forget to review. The less reviews I get the less likely I'll get this updated sooner. I try to update the one with the most reviews first.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, but I'm sure you knew that already. Yami's mine. I guess so are Kouma and Avery though, too, but they aren't actual formulated characters of mine like Yami is.**

Thank you to those who have reviewed! I LOAVE YOU!!!!!

**LadyDragonWolfKnight****: hehe Aren't they cute? I thought they were. Yes, Jealous Heero does = scary. There will be more of that.**

**Petriepair2001: I updated! Although quite a bit after I said I would. Hope you can forgive me for that.**

**Gears: OWWWWW!!! That hurt! I don't think I like being poked by the stick! Hmph! Hehe. A threesome, eh? Hmmm... I never gave it much thought. I might just do that. *grins* Zechs will have Epyon for his gundam by the way, though I don't think it much matters.**

*-*-*

**Note: The song Descending Angel mentioned at the end is by Misfits. It unfortunately is not mine.**

**-~*^*~-**

The war had been over for nearly a year now. The six gundam pilots had all been staying in one of Quatre's mansions. He had insisted upon it, using the reasoning that if they didn't live together they'd never see each other again. Which was probably true and as the heir had pointed out, the rooms would just be going to waste anyway so why not. No one had been able to argue with him. He refused to take no for an answer, but a couple had tried without much luck. It was hard to deny the boy anything when it looked like he was about to cry. 

Heero still had yet to approach Duo, let alone say more than five words to him at a time. But Duo caught him watching him every once in a while when the Japanese boy thought he wasn't looking. The violet eyed boy was willing to wait. He would be extremely busy soon anyway.

Zechs smiled broadly to the young Winner. He had just gotten back from a meeting in the city with Duo. They had just signed the contract for the record deal, not that Zechs had had any doubt about the brunette's talent. Duo had enough doubts for the both of them. All he wanted to do was celebrate, but Duo had insisted upon not telling the others and keeping it a secret for a while longer.

He had frowned, but had reluctantly agreed to follow Duo's wishes. After all, it was his dream and he'd tell the others when he was ready. Duo didn't want the others to know until he was sure that the band would go somewhere. The producers may have liked them, but that didn't mean the public would.

"You should hear Duo sing," the Peacecraft heir smiled mischievously, glancing at the petit blonde out of the corner of his eye. He wondered if the boy would like the music, if any of the others would like it. It would crush Duo if they didn't.

"No thanks. I already have and my ears are still recovering," Quatre winced at the memory. It had been horrible! He'd never in his life heard anything worse and since then had tried to avoid it at all costs. Which was why he stayed away from the garage. Duo liked to work on his old cars in there... and it was common knowledge that he liked to sing along with the radio.

Zechs simply chuckled heading back outside to go see what Duo was up to after stealing a few grapes from the kitchen and popping them into his mouth.

Duo Maxwell was off on his own working in the garage on a beat up old Stingray he'd picked up the month before. It would have seemed odd to the other pilots had they overheard Duo's choice in music that afternoon. Kenny Chesney, an old pre-colony country singer. Actually, they would have found quite a few of his music preferences as odd with their view of the loud American. They had only ever seen him listening to classic rock and roll from way back in the 1970s and 80s. He liked to listen to a bit of everything, picking up ideas from each genre.

He moved his body in time with the beat, softly singing along to "She thinks my tractor's sexy," replacing the 'she' with 'he'. He was careful to do so quietly, just in case one of the others walked in. He didn't want them to overhear him. He knew the owner of the footsteps was Zechs as the man walked into the barn. He'd worked hard to be able to decipher between each of his partners' footfalls since they started sharing the mansion.

Zechs shook his head amused as he watched the denim clad ass wiggle as the boy worked. The fey creature was too enticing for his own good. He moved up behind the boy, wrapping his arms around the slim waist and kissed a bare shoulder. "I think your tractor is _very_ sexy," Zechs murmured somehow managing to keep his voice deadpan even as his eyes laughed merrily.

Duo blushed and paused in his work under the hood. "Uhm. Thanks... I think, but I don't got a tractor," Duo laughed, turning around in the strong arms to look up at Zechs.

"Mmm... maybe we should get you one, then. You could chug it up the hill and acquire a lovely farmer's tan. Just as the songs describes," he murmured, his rich laugh joining in with that of the smaller boy's as he tried to picture the scene.

"Naw. I don't think too many people'll go for that. Sorry," Duo tried to look sympathetic, but somehow just couldn't manage to pull it off.

"True enough. Don't forget that we must be at the studio tomorrow, so get a good night's sleep, songbird. It's an early morning for both of us. Don't stay out here too late," Zechs kissed Duo on the nose playfully.

Duo crinkled his nose at the contact and watched as Zechs left for the house. He was too excited to sleep yet. Besides it was only nine. He'd be in by eleven whether or not he was tired. He'd need his energy for the long day to come. They'd be in the studio from seven to noon and then again from one until eight. Duo groaned just thinking about it. Maybe he would go in before eleven. Just thinking about his schedule made him tired. He packed up his tools half an hour later, cleaning the grease from each of them in turn before he walked the distance to the mansion.

**-~*^*~-**

"Duo! You have to hear this!" Quatre grabbed hold of Duo's sleeve, tugging him into the living room. Quatre ran over to the stereo turning it up so Duo could hear the song playing on the radio. "Well? Well, what do you think?" The blonde looked back over his shoulder at his friend expectantly.

Duo stared at the machine as if it were an alien or some strange looking bug. "Huh? What? Oh, the stereo is nice. Haven't we always had it?" He blinked in surprise when he realized the song drifting over the speakers was his own.

"No, don't be silly!" Quatre laughed. "The song! It's by that new band, Descending Angel!"

"Mmmm. Never heard of them," Duo murmured softly while he listened and watched the blonde for his reaction. "What do you think of them?"

"Me? They're great! Are you kidding? I can't believe you of all people haven't heard of them! You're always listening to music. Anyway, I got tickets to their first concert. It's on your birthday and I was hoping you'd like to come with me," aqua eyes peered up hopefully at him.

Duo shifted his weight nervously. "Um, actually... actually, Zechs is already taking me out. I can't Q-man. I, uh, I hope you have a good time though. Sorry, but thanks for thinking of me," Dup gave a forced cheerful smile to cover up his nerves.

"But, I got all of us tickets... I thought..." Quatre stammered clearly not understanding why Duo was declining. He had always jumped at the chance to go to concerts before, especially when it was made up of cute guys. Er, Quatre thought about that for a minute looking down at the CD cover. You really didn't know if they were cute or not. All you ever saw were their digitally enhanced eyes. But with eyes like those, the rest had to be good right? Maybe not. Maybe that was why no one ever saw anything more than their eyes. They were probably disfigured from the war.

"I'm sorry, Quat. We can't. We made the plans a few months ago," Duo shifted again. He wanted nothing more than to escape to his garage and its quiet sanctuary.

"Oh, alright then. What're you doing?" Quatre smiled. He had tried, but he knew that if Duo set his mind to something there was no changing it. That seemed to be a common quality among the ex-pilots.

"I don't know. He's keeping it a surprise. Hey listen, Quat. I'm gonna go work on my car, 'kay? Let me know if you need me," he backed out of the room through the closest door and took off running. He hated lying to him, but he couldn't' tell him the truth yet either. He wasn't ready to. He'd make it up to them eventually. He hoped.

"Hmm... I don't think he likes them. Maybe that's why he was acting so strange," Quatre mused.

"It's possible," Trowa murmured from behind the blonde.

"You do, right?"

"Of course, little one. Otherwise I would not have agreed to go," the Latin reassured his small lover while nuzzling his cheek.

**-~*^*~-**

"ZECHS!!!! Zechs, Zechs, Zechs!!!!!!" Duo wailed as he ran into the studio later that afternoon. He threw himself at his partner and boyfriend, burying his face in the man's shirt.

Zechs wrapped his arms around the smaller boy offering whatever comfort he could. "What's wrong, songbird? Did something happen?"

"Rahre if kunin tuhduh kanserr!" Duo's voice came out muffled through the thick sweater. 

The tall blonde laughed, "try that again please."

Duo drew away a couple inches to look up at the man. "Quatre's got tickets to the concert on my birthday. He's bringing the others! Knowing him, he'll be in the front row! Zechs, I can't do this. I can't!" Duo burrowed his face in the blonde's shoulder squeezing him tight.

"You can and you will. Duo you're the most amazing person I've ever met. You have a talent for this just like you do as a thief. You'll be perfect just like you always are. Now come on. We have to get ready for that interview in an hour," Zechs nudged the boy away a few inches and moved him to his side as he guided him out of the studio and towards the dressing room.

**-~*^*~-**

"Well, the time is almost here. Very shortly we will meet the members of the newest hit band, DESCENDING ANGEL!!!!" The interviewer, Hilde, gushed to the camera. She whirled towards the door when the sound of a doorknob being turned and the door opened. She gasped slightly as five figures entered the room, each wearing a black hooded cloak hiding their faces in shadow. "Now aren't we shy!" Hilde laughed masking her own disappointment. She'd been looking forward to finally revealing the band's identities.

"No, not shy. Descending Angel is anything but shy. Secretive yes, but never shy," Zechs murmured confidently.

"Oh, alright then. Secretive it is. And you are? I'm afraid I don't know any of your names," Hilde asked the man whose only distinguishing feature was long pale blonde hair streaked with a brilliant blue that matched what she assumed to be the eyes from the cover of the CD. 

"I'm the drummer," he smirked behind the pale porcelain mask he wore.

"Oh, erm alright. Well, have a seat so we can get started!" she chirped somewhat nervously. She sat at a diagonal to them in a plush chair. She watched as they took their seats. The drummer and a smaller boy with violet streaked opted for curling up together on the small loveseat while the others took their own places in single chairs and one found a position on the floor leaning against the side of the love seat.

"Alright then, so we know the drummer will not reveal his name. Will anyone else?" Hilde asked hopefully. She wasn't looking forward to referring to each of them by their occupation within the group or by the colors streaked in their long hair for those that allowed their hair to be visible.

"I'm Kouma!" The one on the floor piped up cheerfully. "I play the keyboards! I'm also the youngest. I'm only 16," the boy shrugged. "That's Avery. He's the guitarist. And that's Yami. She's the bass guitarist and the only girl. But she acts like one of the boys a lot so she's cool. She's all for the arcade!"

"Arcade! Where?!" She immediately sat up straighter and whipped her head about, relaxing again when she realized that Kouma hadn't meant there was one around. "Dirty trick, Kouma. Just remember I'll know where you sleep when we start this tour in a few weeks," she threatened settling back into the cushions and giving Kouma what Hilde assumed to be a nasty glare.

Kouma laughed, clearly not perturbed.

"I noticed you failed to mention either of their names," she gestured to the two on the loveseat.

"Oh, um... Yeah well. They wanna keep it a secret for now. Don't really know why, but they say they have their reasons," the boy shrugged unconcernedly.

"I will assume Mr. Purple Hair is the lead singer then?"

"Sure am, Miss!" Duo nodded.

"Alright then. Now that I know about as much as I'm going to find out about your names, we'll start with the real questions. How did you meet?"

"Well, I met him in my kitchen actually," Duo snickered pointing to the man next to him. "I knew who he was before that, but we had never actually met before that. He, uh, he overheard me singing and said that when the war was over I should go for making a career out of it."

"The rest of us all met at the auditions they held. Noth'n too glamorous," Avery supplied the rest. "We all hit it off pretty well. We're pretty much like a family now. They're great to work with. They're good at making me forget it's really work. I never imagined work to be fun," the boy laughed. "I'm still havin' trouble talking Yami into goin' out with me though. I have no idea how she's been able to resist my charms for so long," he sighed shaking his head in mock disbelief.

Yami snorted. "Don't hold your breath waiting for me to accept. Wait no. Do. Then I can watch you pass out!" She giggled as the rest laughed along with her including Avery.

"Why was he in your kitchen?" Hilde asked confused once she had calmed down enough to ask.

"He was hiding from a nagging howler monkey and decided my kitchen was the last place she'd look. Actually I think he was right. She never did come looking for him there," Duo laughed manically ad Zechs shook his head at his songbird's description of his little sister apt though it was.

"So what's with the song Descending Angel? The lead singer obviously doesn't sing it," Hilde tilted her head to the side asking the question to no one in particular.

"Actually, I sing lead on that and the rest are the back up. He wrote the song for the band and the rest of us decided that it fit him quite nicely, so we will be using that as his entrance to the first concert along with a few after that," Zechs explained giving Duo's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, it was a bitch. Wait I'm not allowed to say that on TV am I? Oops. Oh well. It's still true. It was a bitch to get him to agree to it. He says it makes him feel as if he's trying to be better than us and he'd rather just be equal," Avery expanded on the answer, smirking behind his mask.

Kouma laughed. "Yeah. He's got this weird tendency to think he sucks. To be honest. I've never heard anyone sing better. We all know we're good, but none of us would dare to try and say we were better than him."

"It just isn't possible. He's a god compared to us, although if you asked him, he'd deny it till he were blue in the face. We're not sure why, but he really feels that he isn't all that great," Yami concluded.

"Guys stop exaggerating," Duo mumbled, fidgeting slightly. He was _not as good as they said he was. They were just being nice. He was a street rat and nothing good ever came from them. If they kept on like this, it was going to be one loooooong interview._

**TBC...**


	4. The Concert

**Author's Note: Hehe, wow. This was actually extremely fun to write!  Although I should have been sleeping instead seeing as how I finished it at 4 am. Oh well I wasn't tired and like I said, I was having fun. I'm rather pleased with it. I've never written a concert scene so yeah. It should be all right. Just don't let Duo give you a heart attack.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Wahhhhh! Only Avery, Yami, and Kouma are but they aren't all that important cause this story isn't about them. Oh ya. I don't own Bad Luck Either. They're from Gravitation which I also don't own.**

**Thanks!!!!!**

**Karina****: yup! Zechs can sing, too. Hehe they so yummy!**

**Review please!!! The stories with the most reviews tend to be updated rather quickly if that gives you any kind of incentive. I hope it does cause I like this story and enjoy writing it.**

**-~*^*~-**

Quatre frowned. Duo had made him miss the interview. Luckily he had been able to find the transcript and some pictures. He was disappointed not to have been able to learn the names of the lead singer and drummer. It was possible that he was even more disappointed when he couldn't find out what any of the band members looked like. It seemed as if he was just going to have to wait until the concert when they unveiled themselves like they had said they would.

He thought it strange that no one had seen them enter or leave the building. All that had been seen were the occasional business men and security guards coming from or on their way home. One fan had even waited seven hours for them to come out before finally giving up and going home when she still hadn't seen them. The closest she had come to seeing them was when two girls had walked out gushing about the band. The brunette had gone on and on about the drummer to her blonde companion. It seemed as if she had seen the band members while she had been inside. The fan had tried asking her about them, but had only received a secretive wink and a wave good-bye. By the time she returned, it still hadn't hit her that no one had been allowed to see the band. The only one's who had ever seen them, were those who had been there when the contract was signed and those who had worked with them on the making of their CD.

He pouted to himself. Even Heero hadn't been able to come up with their identities. None of the employees would talk. It seemed as if the company had only chosen the most trusted for the job of working with their new band. The only ones they'd been able to find were the three that had given their names.  It was almost as if the other two didn't exist, but that was silly.

The youngest Winner child shook his head ruefully. He'd be going to the concert in a few hours and he would see who they were then. He'd waited months, what would it hurt to wait a few more hours? It really was a shame that Duo and Zechs couldn't come. Especially since it was Duo's birthday and he loved getting the chance to go to concerts. But maybe it was just as well, Duo hadn't seemed to like the band all that much no matter how much Quatre had tried to sway him.

"Quatre, are you ready?!" Heero called up the stairs four hours later. It was time to leave and the boy was holding them up as he primped. Why he felt the need to was beyond Heero's comprehension. Quatre was dating Trowa, why bother making yourself look good for another man unless you weren't happy with the one you had? He shook his head not understanding at all. The two were very happy together.

It was he who was unhappy. _His_ Duo had been with Zechs for over a year now and it was severely grating on his nerves. It didn't help matters much that the two didn't seem to be winding down anytime soon like he had hoped which meant that he'd actually have to do something to gain Duo's attention once more, but that would have to wait for later. "Quatre!"

"I'm coming!" the blonde yelled as he ran down the stairs in his excitement. "Oh, isn't this great Heero? I'm so glad you decided to come with us."

"Hn. Let's go. Trowa's in the car already. So is Chang. Waiting," he added just to emphasize the point that the blonde had been holding them up. Thinking of Duo's relationship with Marquise had put a damper on his mood.

***-*-***

"Zechs!!!!" Duo screamed as he raced across the stage to the man and barreled into his arms. "I can't do this. I can't!"

Zechs hugged him reassuringly, noticing that Duo's slight frame was trembling. "It's alright. Don't scream. I'm here. Shush now," he murmured softly into Duo's ear, rubbing his back soothingly. "You're going to be great, songbird. I promise," he moved pack a step, his slender hands framing Duo's beautiful face and lightly kissed his forehead. "Just take a deep breath and you'll be fine."

Duo did as he was asked drawing in a shaky breath and slowly letting it own again, then repeating the act. "Thanks," he blushed, embarrassed. He hadn't been this nervous during the war. Now he was a nervous wreck. If G could see him now. He shook his head ruefully laughing softly at himself.

"Time to go get dolled up you two!" a small auburn haired boy called over to the pair.

"But there's still hours until the concert's s'posed to start!" Duo stared, his eyes wide as his nerves started to wind up again.

"Yeah I know, but we still gotta get out hair dyed remember? In case you forgot, we use that wash out stuff so it'll look bright for every appearance," Kouma laughed.

"Oh, right. I knew that," Duo blushed picking up the tail of his braid and studying it. It was its usual chestnut color, but soon it would be liberally streaked with a vibrant violet. He grinned. He thought it had been a pretty neat idea. The only one who would never really need to dye their hair was Yami. Hers was permanently done in its customary candy apple red and black. He smiled up at the ex-Oz officer when he felt him squeeze his hand. "We'll be right there, Kouma."

Zechs gave Duo a tender kiss as the younger boy left backstage.

"You've been so wonderful to me. Sorry I've made you stay celibate for so long," Duo snickered and took off running after his band mate. The blonde stood there for a second laughing to himself. He hadn't even noticed how long it had been. With Duo, it never seemed like long enough. One day Heero would sweep him away. When that day came, he wasn't sure what he'd do. Would he fight for him?

He'd known from the day he met the energetic boy that he'd been sexually attracted to him, but now it was different, he'd somehow grown attached to him as well. It would be painful to give him up, but maybe if he played his cards right, he wouldn't have to. He followed after his koi at a more leisurely pace.

Duo was sitting impatiently as the stylist applied color to his hair, when Zechs finally reached the dressing rooms. This was by far Duo's least enjoyable part of choosing music as his career, the sitting still. The boy waved enthusiastically when he entered and he smiled in return and took his seat in the chair next to him. "Save your energy for later. You'll need it."

Duo nodded in understanding and received a sharp command not to move from the man standing behind him who pushed his head down as he dried the long mass of hair. Duo bounced up once he was finished and turned every way possible in the mirror to check out the results. 

He nodded, apparently satisfied with how it looked and sat back down so the man could pin half of it up into its complex knot. Somehow the style managed to look haphazard and intentional at the same time as bits and pieces fluffed up and stuck out at different angles leaving the lower half to trail down Duo's back and flow over his shoulders.

Zechs could hear the fans outside as they waited to be allowed in, then as they were admitted and their opening act, Bad Luck, took the stage. By that point the artists were just putting the finishing touches on their makeup. He glanced over at the young brunette. Duo looked simply irresistible. The glitter covering almost every square inch of bare skin and the liberal amount of violet shimmer surrounding his eyes and drawing attention to them made him look almost ethereal. They were easily his best feature and the make up complimented them beautifully.

He kissed Duo's hand not wanting to mess up his makeup or hair when he heard Bad Luck exit the stage. He was pleased that they had been well recepted. The crowd seemed to like them. "You'll be the one everyone dreams about tonight, love. Just do your best. That'll be more than what they're expecting to get. I'll see you on stage soon," Zechs gave Duo's hand one last squeeze and a farewell kiss before following after the other three.

Each was dressed to kill in black leather and lace, but none could compare to Duo, nor were they supposed to. Duo was dressed almost entirely in black leather. His legs were encased in soft leather that molded neatly to his frame, silver grommets running up the sides of each leg. At his hips rested three pyramid studded belts crisscrossing over one another. When the lights hit just right, a violet glint at his belly button could be seen through the fishnet covering his torso and arms. A black halter top partially covered his chest and to complete the image he wore a spiked collar and cuffs on each wrist. Indeed he would be the subject of many fantasies that night.

The lights dimmed on stage leaving it in near blackness as the four took up their positions while the crowd screamed and flashes from cameras went off in hopes that by using the flash, the picture would be able to depict one of the band member's likeness. The lights grew brighter as the opening chords to "Descending Angel" began to play.

"Torn from the heaven, they fall from the sky to walk the streets above mortal man(1)," Zechs' deep sensual voice began, setting the mood once the lights began to shift colors, highlighting each in turn.

Quatre screamed girlishly, gripping onto Trowa's arm and nearly cutting off the circulation as he did so. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!!!!" He screeched throwing his arms around his boyfriend's neck in excitement.

Zechs grinned to himself as he sang. Quatre sure seemed to put on a show by himself. He took one last look at the four before turning his attention elsewhere lest they distract him. The show had to be perfect for Duo's sake.

The crowd gasped as a figure emerged from the floor as the song began drawing to a close. The angle of the lights made it appear as if he himself were glowing with a soft violet light. He head was angled down towards his shoulder, yet he was looking out flirtatiously at the audience from the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his head to look out at the crowd as his hands ran sensually up his body and behind his head as it dropped backwards and his mouth opened partially as if he were letting a soft moan escape.

In actuality he was letting out a nervous sigh. He felt like a whore, but was positive he looked like one. He stepped off the platform sauntering forward to take center stage. He purposely ignored looking front row center, instinctively knowing whom he would see there, and instead opted to simply look over their heads.

"How's everybody doing out there? I'd say I can't hear you, but I think I'm gonna go deaf if you get any louder!" he called out cheerfully as he scanned the crowd. It was packed. As far as he could tell there wasn't a single empty seat. Not even in the nosebleed section.

The crowd cheered even louder, each one trying to answer the question and be heard over the thousands of others calling out.

Duo laughed throatily as the bass lines for the next song started. "We're pleased to be here and thank you for havin' us. Just try not to throw too many tomatoes. I think they stain and we wouldn't want that now would we?" he pouted beginning to get into the mood of the song.

"I've tried to take this all just one step at a time(2)," he prowled to the front of the stage sliding down onto his hands and knees, the sultry pout still plastered on his face as he watched Quatre's expression. This particular song was the bonus track to the CD which he knew for a fact the little blonde hadn't heard yet. 

It was probably a good thing or he would have had a nosebleed at the computer due to its blatant sexual undercurrent throughout most of the song. He nearly laughed as he saw WuFei's hand fly to his face, but he managed to hold it in and gave a wink to his oblivious Chinese friend. He went back to seducing the little blonde by performing a pole dance with the microphone and practically making out with the stage directly in front of the boy.

He let up on the poor boy when he swooned, collapsing into the Latin's arms. Duo had to admit that it was incredibly hot so his little performance probably hadn't helped either. Whatever the reason was, he decided to ease up on him just the same, although it had been fun to watch him gush. He'd caught the gesture indicating that Quatre wanted Trowa to wear a collar for him and had nearly forgotten what he was singing due to shock. Thankfully he knew the songs well enough that his mind had supplied him with the correct lyrics as he regained his senses.

Duo was glad when they started on the last song of the set. He was beginning to wear out, not that he'd let it show, but he was feeling it nonetheless. "I've got a dream to take you ove', exploding like a supernova, an' I'm gonna crash into your world and that's no lie(3)," Duo leaned over Zechs' shoulder, running his hand down the man's bare chest as his other hand pointed directly at Heero. Heero seemed rather unimpressed with the show and it looked as if he were trying to talk WuFei into believing that he was the one the singer was pointing at.

Zechs continued to play even as he felt a sharp stab at his heart while Duo sang to Heero. He would not let Duo go that easily. At the beginning, he might have been able to, but now? It was different now. He loved Duo now. 

Duo sighed happily as the lights dimmed slightly just before the last song of the encore. He put all he had into it and then some. "(4)So break me, shake me, hate me, take me over. When the madness stops then you will be alone. So break me, shake me, hate me, take me, make me, fake me, break me, shake me, hate me, take me, break me," he snapped his head back on the last note, his hands thrown up to clasp behind his head as all the lights went out on the abrupt end. It was the perfect ending to a perfect show.

**TBC...**

(1) "Descending Angel" by Misfits      very good song actually, y'all should take a listen.

(2) "Angel" by Nine Inch Nails     another very, very amazing song. Sounds like something you'd hear a stripper dance to for a while actually hehehe

(3) "Violet" by Savage Garden          it just seemed to fit nicely with Heero

(4) "Break Me" by Savage Garden


	5. Spooked

**Author's Note: I am soo sorry about how long it took to get out. I have not forgotten about it. I just started college this year and it's kept me extremely busy. I'm on break at the moment which is how I got this out. So don't worry. I have not forgotten, just haven't had time. So be patient and I will get more out.**

I even made this longer than usual to try to make up for it. It's a little less than twice the length of my usual chapters. Enjoy!! 

**Disclaimer: Kouma's mine. Yami is definitely mine. And Avery is mine. Maiyumi is mine. All else belongs to the people who own Gundam wing. Unfortunately I am not one of them.**

**CHAPTER 5**

"Wow," Quatre breathed almost reverently as the band disappeared from the stage. He sighed dreamily crossing his arms on the edge of the stage and resting this chin atop of them as the rest of the stadium filed out. "Too bad Duo had to miss it. He would have loved it," he murmured, his hand running across the stage lightly. He suddenly jerked up, spinning to face the others. "We forgot to take pictures! Oh no! I wanted to take some for Duo!" 

Trowa wrapped an arm around the small blonde's waist, hoping that it would help calm him down. "I am sure others took pictures. There will be some up on the internet tomorrow and Heero can always hack into the security tapes if it is that important to you," he offered quietly, glancing at Heero to assure Quatre that Heero would indeed do so if asked. 

"Hn," Heero rolled his eyes, wondering slightly is Quatre was really that dense or simply too star struck to have noticed anything odd about the band, particularly about the drummer and lead singer.

Having finally come out of his zone like trance after his near disgrace, WuFei merely scoffed, watching the blonde. There _was_ such a thing as being too open with one's feelings. Quatre was always displaying too much emotion. It would most likely get him into trouble one day. It was surprising that he had even survived the war, much less without becoming jaded like the rest of them.

Even Duo was jaded, perhaps the most of all. He never really showed it, but you could tell all the jokes were an act. Everyone knew that Duo was a totally different person inside than the one he showed to them in the safe houses during the war. The real Duo was starting to show up more often now that the war had ended. WuFei was particularly pleased by that fact since it meant Duo was obnoxious on a less frequent basis. Usually he was out with Marquise or working on his cars, which was fine with him. 

***-*-***

Duo grinned tiredly to himself. He was pleased with how the concert had turned out. The meet and greet after had gone better than he had expected it would. Thankfully, Quatre hadn't heard of it. Only the relatives of the Label's employees had been invited, but word tends to get around. Luckily it hadn't gotten around fast enough for Quatre to weasel his way into it. It had ultimately been agreed to in hopes that the other ex-Gundam pilots would be asleep by the time that he and Zechs got home. He didn't care that it would sap what little energy he had left as long as it kept his secret safe.

"You alright, Du'?" Zechs asked softly, slipping an arm around the shorter boy's shoulders as he led him to the car. He opened the door, helping to ease him into the driver's seat and having him scoot over to make room for him. The drive home was rather short, but just long enough for the Shinigami pilot to drift off to sleep.

***-*-***

The next morning Duo woke up expecting Zechs to already be up and about, but he was surprised to find the blonde still sound asleep next to him. He carefully shifted onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow as he stared down at the man. "What's going on?" Duo whispered quietly to himself. "Heero should have done something by now, and he hasn't... Why does that not bother me as much as I thought would? Zechs what are you doing to me?" he groaned softly, leaning over the blonde to place a light kiss on his cheek before settling back into his previous position.

"I thought I loved Heero... When did I forget the goal? Damnit! I don't even know," he muttered burying his face in a pillow. "This wasn't supposed to happen... I can't do this anymore. I can't do this to Zechs. To me. I'm sorry, Zechs," he murmured to his sleeping partner as he eased himself out from underneath his arm. He padded over to the desk and scribbled out a note, scrubbing at his eyes as tears threatened to fall. "Duo Maxwell doesn't cry," he snapped bitterly to himself. He laid the note on the pillow he had been occupying earlier. He was gone by the time Zechs woke up and read it.

"What the..." he threw the covers off, getting out of bed to search the closet. "DAMNIT!" Duo was really gone, duffel bag, clothes and all. It was as if Duo had never lived in the room. Marquise yanked on a pair of jean, storming out of the room to find Heero, believing Duo's disappearance to have something to do with the cold pilot. "Heero! Were are you!?"

Quatre quickly scurried out of the man's way, not wanting to have the rage he felt pouring off of him to be temporarily directed at him. He watched him stalk off down the hall, picking up the crumpled piece of paper that had been dropped. Aqua eyes quickly scanned over it, widening when he realized that the entire relationship between the two had been faked. "Impossible," he murmured, looking up at where Zechs had disappeared around a corner. "It _was real... everyone knew it... everyone but them," his head shook in amazement. "How could they have not known?"_

Heero looked up from his laptop as Zechs burst threw the door, nearly ripping it off its hinges with the force he used to slam it open. He quietly shut down his computer and turned to face him, deciding that an irate Zechs was not someone he could ignore. He waited patiently to hear what was wanted of him.

"What have you said to Duo? He's gone and you have to be the reason! He's been waiting for you," he glared at the stoic ex-pilot, towering over the boy.

Heero blinked, rather surprised. Duo was gone? "I have no idea what you are talking about, Marquise."

Ice blue eyes narrowed suspiciously for a moment, a ragged sigh expelling once he realized it was the truth. "Turn the computer back on and find Duo," he finally ordered. "If you do not, I will hold you responsible if he does not turn up. You will report to me with whatever you find," and with that he turned and strode from the room, off to do his own searching for his little koi. He would not give up that easily. He hadn't meant to, but he had fallen in love with the boy. He never would have been able to let Heero take him away. He realized that now. If Heero hadn't said anything to him, than why had he left? And where had he gone? Back to L2?

***-*-***

"Yami! Open up!" Duo banged on the door, praying she was home. 

The girl in question groaned, wondering what on earth was going on. If the person woke up her little sister, she'd maim them. It had taken over an hour to console the girl and finally get her to take a much needed nap. She yanked open the door about to yell at whomever it was, but immediately the words died in her throat as she saw a haggard looking Duo. "Duo?" she breathed, stepping aside to let him in, reaching down to take the bag from him. She was burning to ask questions, but knew that unless Duo wanted to talk, he wouldn't. She'd just have to wait for any explanations for his sudden appearance.

Duo followed silently as Yami led him to an empty bedroom. He assumed that it belonged to her brother for the rare occasions that he was home. He didn't know what the man did since Yami rarely talked about him. He took in the closed door across the room from the one he had been given and realized that Maiyumi must be asleep. "I didn't wake her up, did I?" he asked softly.

"No, I don't think so, but I'll check to make sure while you get comfortable in here. I'll put some hot chocolate on for you too. Looks like you could need it, love," she rested her hand on his shoulder briefly before moving across the hall to check on Mai. She sighed in relief when the little girl mumbled something in her sleep and curled up around the large stuffed bunny in her arms. She closed the door again and continued on to the kitchen to prepare the water.

"Still asleep?" he asked hopefully, sitting down at the small breakfast table.

Yami smiled at him over her shoulder as she reached up into a cupboard for two mugs, "you lucked out." She set the mugs on the countertop, taking a seat across from him. "Enjoy the concert yesterday?" she asked, deciding to steer clear of the topic of Zechs. She couldn't think of any other reason why the boy had run away. It had to have something to do with him or else, he would have gone to his lover.

A groan was her only answer for long seconds as Duo rested his head on his arms. "Yami... Zechs and I weren't really going out. Well, we were, but we weren't if that makes any sense," he hadn't bothered answering her question, knowing that she didn't really care about the answer. He knew she just wanted to figure out what was wrong, and he just wanted to talk to someone about it and she had seemed the perfect candidate. She was a girl after all. Girls understood complex emotional things. Quatre might have understood, but Quat would have told Trowa and then he'd just be too embarrassed to face the two ever again.

"Not quite, love. How were you not going out?" that was the part she needed clarified the most. Maybe once she understood that part, the rest would make more sense.

Duo sighed, his shoulders slumping. He didn't even flinch when the kettle blew, merely waiting for his friend to take it off the burner and pour the water. He lifted his head up and smiled gratefully when she placed his down in front of him. He inched forward in the chair, wrapping his hands around the hot mug loosely so that he wouldn't burn himself, but would still be able to keep his hands warm. "It wasn't real. Y'see, I really did meet him in my kitchen. He just showed up behind me while I was singing and making a sandwich," he took a small sip of the hot chocolate, watching Yami intently for any kind of response.

She simply nodded, holding her own mug just below her face, leaning her elbows on the table as she listened. She forced herself not to interrupt unless she deemed it necessary.

"Well, he was trying to hide out from his sister, Relena. Yes, the howler monkey," he gave a slight grin, catching sight of hers as she remembered the description he had used in their interview. "He chose it because he knew she wouldn't look for him there and yadda, yadda, yadda. I was staying there with four other guys, but I was the only one there at the time and would be for the next few days. He talked me into trusting him enough to let him stay, then he started hitting on me for some reason," he ignored her roll of the eyes and continued on. "I told him there was someone else, one of the other guys I lived with. So we were talking about that and how the guy pretended I didn't exist unless he had to acknowledge me. So, Zechs came up with the idea of posing as my boyfriend to make the guy jealous."

Yami nodded, finally understanding. Duo and Zechs had been pretending to have a relationship to get the guy that Duo was really interested in to notice him. She snorted softly, covering it up by taking a sip of her hot chocolate. For actors, they were either really good, or they really cared about each other. She was betting the it leant more towards the latter. "Did it work?"

His nose scrunched up distastefully as he thought about the reaction Heero had had towards it. "He tried to shoot Zechs while we were sleeping. Then he tried to keep us apart and wear Zechs out and kept making sure he was put into dangerous positions. So, I guess it did work, now that I think about it. It was the first time Heero lied to me. Usually, he just ignored me if he didn't want to answer."

"So, if it worked, why didn't you end things with Zechs and go with Heero? I'm assuming that's the guy's name," she asked although, she thought that she already knew the answer even if Duo didn't.

He shook his head, completely dumbfounded. "I don't know," he answered honestly, violet eyes turning up to meet black across the table. "I told Heero to leave him alone, to leave us alone. It didn't even hit me that I should have been jumping for joy that he was jealous, instead of getting mad at him for it."

She snorted lightly again, not even bothering to hide it this time. "You loved Zechs even then, didn't you?" she grinned when his mouth dropped open in shock. "Well, it was obvious between the two of you. You might be good at acting, but the way you two interacted couldn't have been faked," she explained, offering a comforting smile.

He chewed on his lip thinking about what she had said. He mentally kicked himself for not noticing it earlier. "I guess I did. I just... I wasn't expecting it. I kept thinking I still wanted Heero, so I must have just ignored everything else."

"You going to tell him?" she asked, eyebrow raised in question.

"NO! I can't! I can't put him in that kind of position. He's a gentleman. He'll say he returns the same feelings when deep down inside, he'll resent me for trapping him or something!" he wailed softly, still mindful of the sleeping child just a few doors down.

Yami once again rolled her eyes at the boy. Well, at least he was making some progress. He realized that he loved Zechs, now all he had to do was realize that Zechs loved him back. "Well, love. I won't make you tell him or go home tonight. You can stay for a few days until you get the courage to go home again because you _do_ have to go home again," she stood up rinsing her mug out in the sink and placing it in the dishwasher, doing the same with Duo's half finished mug. It was obvious that he wasn't going to finish it.

Both jumped slightly as the phone rang, and Yami gestured for Duo to go check on Mai again while she got it. "Nice timing," she murmured quietly to herself after she realized who it was on the phone. Zechs Marquise. 

--Do you think you can stop by?--

She smiled to herself, feeling sorry for the man. He sounded so tired and upset. She had no idea how long Duo had been gone for before he had turned up on her doorstep, but it sounded like it had been a while. "Sure, love. I'll be there soon. Everyone else coming?"

--Yes, I've already talked to the others.--

"Alright then, see you in a few," she hung up, smiling as Duo walked back into the room, letting her know that Maiyumi was still sound asleep. "I've gotta go bail out Mal before another World War breaks out. He had a crazy notion to visit the rest of his family and of course, his Grandfather is ready to kill him, not to mention his brother in-law. Do you think you could keep checking on Mai for me? And keep her entertained when she wakes up?" she asked, hating to lie to him about leaving and using her half brother as an excuse.

He nodded, "sure thing. It's the least I can do since you're putting me up for a li'l while."

"Thanks a bunch, love," she kissed his cheek before she left to go see Zechs.

*-*-*

"I got the pictures from the concert!" Quatre chirped later that evening, grateful that Zechs had gone out for a while. 

Heero blinked, looking up from a book to stare at Quatre. "I thought you hadn't taken any," he muttered, watching him suspiciously.

"I didn't. I went to the copy shop and talked the manager into making copies of other people pictures from the concert," he grinned triumphantly, now possessing the largest collection of Descending Angel pictures. "Come look, Heero," he cajoled, beginning to spread them out on the table.

Heero snorted, looking back down at his book. "Why would I want to look at pictures of Maxwell?"

Quatre paused, looking down at the pictures and back towards Heero. "Huh? They aren't pictures of Duo, they're of the concert. Duo wasn't with us, remember?"

"He wasn't with us, no. He was up on stage with Marquise," he answered, tuning Quatre out to go back to reading his book.

"Heero, you've lost it. Duo was out with Zechs for his birthday," his mind refused to piece together the information. It just didn't seem possible that the American that tortured his ears whenever he tried to sing, could possibly be in a real band as the lead singer. He glanced over at the doorway nervously when he heard the front door slam open angrily. Zechs was home... He quickly tried to gather the photos back up, not wanting to remind the man about Duo's birthday, or relay that he hadn't been helping to find Duo. He had done all he could earlier, but it hadn't been enough. Even Heero couldn't turn much of anything up, other than that Duo had been in town earlier that day at the post office looking at a phone book. 

At least he had been able to find out that he hadn't boarded a shuttle, but Earth was still such a big place to have to search. It almost would have been easier if Duo would have taken a shuttle. The colonies were much smaller. If Duo had taken anything, it had to be a taxi. Duo hadn't shown up on the security tapes of airports, shuttle ports, bus depots, or train stations. 

"Marquise, tell Winner that the pictures are indeed pictures of Duo," Heero smirked as Quatre squawked, the pages of the book hiding it from view.

Quatre took a few steps back from Zechs as he stalked closer, jerking the pictures out of his hands. "You knew?" his voice was cold as he glanced at Heero

"Hn."

Ice blue eyes narrowed, the pictures dropped back onto the table, a few spilling over the edge to scatter across the floor. "Yes Quatre, they are. Now if you excuse me, I am expecting a few people," he continued on through the room, going to check the den to make sure it was an appropriate meeting place.

Quatre knelt down, picking up each of the pictures and looking them over, one by one. Heero and Zechs both said they were of Duo... That meant that some of them were Zechs as well. He stared dumfounded at a few of them, trying to picture them without the added colour to their hair and without the makeup. He nearly gasped in surprise. That was why Duo had acted so strange when he tried to talk him into going to the concert! He covered his face in embarrassment.

"Get the door," Heero's voice broke through his thoughts, jerking him back into motion. He got to his feet, replacing the spilt pictures on the table before going to open the door. "Hel-lo," he blinked staring up at the girl. If he had doubted Zechs and Heero earlier, he didn't know. There was no denying that this was Yami with the candy apple red and black hair.

She grinned down at him, holding out her hand and shaking his when he finally managed to offer it. "Hiya, Doll. Zechsy around somewhere? Kouma pulled up just behind me, so I'll wait for him before you show me where Zechs is," she had to chuckle at the boy as she stepped just inside the doorway. "Careful, you'll trap bugs in there. They might be high in protein, but there are much tastier ways to get it than eating bugs," she reached out, shutting his mouth with a finger under his jaw. She recognized him from the concert, deciding that the two empty seats that had been next to him must have been the two that he had bought for Zechs and Duo.

"Sorry, I dropped my keys when I took 'em out and then ended up hitting my head on the steering wheel when I was trying to find them," the boy laughed, clearly amused by his misfortune. "You must be Quatre. Duo told us a lot about you guys. Nice to finally meet you," he gave him a hug before moving on to do the same with Yami. "Ave, here yet?"

"Nope!" Yami crowed, pleased that she had something else to hold over his head.

Kouma shook his head, nudging Quatre with his hip. "They have this ongoing competition thing about who's better. I think Yam was winning last I knew, but maybe he's letting her since he likes her, but what do I know?" he shrugged, clapping the blonde lightly on his back. "So where's Zechs? It sounded pretty important on the phone."

"It is important," Yami murmured softly, her eyes softening in sympathy for the absent blonde.

"You know what this is about?" Kouma's face jerked up to look at the taller girl.

She nodded gravely, lowering her voice a bit. "I do. He didn't tell me, so don't get your panties in a twist-"

"I do _not_ wear panties!" he nearly shrieked indignantly, tugging up his shirt just enough to show off a pair of green boxers. "See?"

"Yah, yah. Figure of speech, love. Now, no more cutting me off. I've only got an idea of what this is about, but I'll remind you that it's only an idea. At least I've got good news for Zechs," she muttered, rather relieved herself that the man wouldn't have to worry anymore about where Duo was.

The three jumped guiltily as a throat was cleared behind them. "Good news, Yami?" Zechs asked, voice low.

She nodded vigorously, her curls bouncing wildly around her face. "Duo showed up at my house about an hour ago. He's safe and is currently watching my little sister for me."

"Why didn't you bring him with you?" he growled at her, ice blue eyes hardening.

"We should bring this conversation somewhere other than the front door, Zechs," Yami stated, quite unafraid of the man's temper. Duo was right, he was a gentleman and as such he would never manhandle a woman. She always ended up being the one to deliver any unpleasant news to him. 

He nodded curtly, turning his back on them and leading them to a small den towards the back of the house. He instructed Quatre to show Avery back to it when he decided to arrive. Then, he turned back to Yami, waiting for her to make herself comfortable before once again addressing her coldly, "Why did he not accompany you?"

She looked up at him, not bothered by the fact that he was towering over her. "I didn't ask him to,' she answered simply.

Zechs had to take a deep breath to keep himself relatively calm. "And why not? You knew the others were going to be here, so why did you not ask him?" his voice steely as his eyes bored into hers.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Zechs, he's upset. If he wanted to come home, he would. I told him he had to come back home before a week was over. As much as I love having him there to help with Mai, he belongs here with you. Now, I am going to assume that you called us all here to tell us that Duo was missing and that we might need to cancel a few concerts and appearances and such until he shows up again, right?" seeing him nod, she continued on. "Well, he's alright. We won't need to do that, so why don't you call Ave and tell him to turn around and go home again?"

Grudgingly, Zechs did as she was asked, not surprised to find that the boy had only left his house recently. He was always running late due to his vanity. He apologized to Kouma for making him drive all the way over and offered him a room for the night. The boy eagerly accepted, excited about the prospect of spending the night in a mansion. Since he didn't need to be present any longer, he darted out of the room, intent on finding someone else to talk to. He grinned seeing a messy haired brunette lounging on a couch, a book in his hand.

Yami took a deep breath, preparing herself for the coming conversation with her friend. "He ran because he got spooked. Your relationship with him was supposed to be fake. But it turned out to be far more real than he thought. He's afraid you don't feel the same and that if he tells you how he feels, you'll lie to make him happy, while silently resenting him."

"Are you trying to tell me that he loves me?" he asked cautiously, too afraid of the answer to speak above a mere whisper.

She looked at him incredulously, moaning in disbelief. "I can't believe how dense you two are. You've been dating for over a year and didn't even realize that you were both in love. And you two were supposed to be intelligent," she scoffed, shaking her head ruefully. "Heero tried to shoot you and keep you away from Duo. Obviously he was jealous. Even Duo noticed it. Shouldn't that have been enough for the fake relationship to end? But it didn't. Duo chose you quite a long time ago. This Heero doesn't stand a chance. He's all yours," she grinned as Zechs suddenly collapsed into a chair. 

It was silent for a long few seconds as Zechs went over the past year and half with Duo. Finally he looked up at her, "will he come back?"

"Yes. It may only be to officially break up with you, but I'm sure that you can talk him into something more permanent," she winked, standing up to give the man a hug. "I'll try to shoo him home as soon as I can."

**TBC...**


	6. Happily Ever After

A/N: I apologize that it always takes me forever to update. I don't blame any of you who get frustrated with me. I haven't forgotten about any of my stories, I've just gotten major writers block and lack of ambition to write them.

I'm thinking about adding what happens at the end of this chapter, but I won't post it on I would post it on I'll add a link if I actually get the courage to post it.

2nd AN: Thanks LadyDragonWolfKnight for pointing out that the spacers were somehow lost in the uploading. They're in the word document, but for some reason not in the upload. I'm trying to fix that.

Disclaimer: Not mine, none of it except for the order in which the words are placed.

Chapter 6

Yami paused on her way out, catching Quatre in the middle of a cup of tea. "Winner, love, do me a favour and don't mention anything of where I've taken Duo to Heero. If anything is ever going to work out, Zechs has to get there first," she warned, intimating that if Quatre did tell Heero of her friend's whereabouts, she would make sure that he lived to regret it. She hadn't taken him anywhere, but she had a feeling that the boy might be hidden around somewhere, listening in on the conversation. It wouldn't surprise her at all from what she'd heard of him. She personally enjoyed likening him to a bulldog. Stubborn and determined. He'd chew on something until it was dead if that's what it took.

"Alright..." he nodded quickly, hoping that Heero wouldn't assume that he was withholding information. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he stood in between Heero and his goal. "Umm... I jut have one question. Is it really Duo singing? Or is his voice manipulated by technology somehow?" he asked, dying to know. His mind couldn't reconcile the Duo on stage with the Duo who had nearly burst his eardrums with his loud off key singing.

She paused, hand on the doorknob, glanced back at him and laughed. "Of course that's his natural voice, love. Wouldn't have been able to do it if he was that bad, now could we? Technology ain't that good yet," she laughed and blew a kiss over her shoulder as she left.

xx

Duo blinked at the sudden sound of a light rapping on the front door, quickly checking to make sure that Mai was contently playing before making his way over to it. He'd been staying with Yami for two days and still wasn't any nearer to facing Zechs than he had been when he'd first shown up on her doorstep. If Zechs loved him, like Yami believed, then his leaving had to have hurt him. He couldn't bear the idea that Zechs might be too angry with him to take him back, and he'd ruined everything with Heero already by dating Zechs in the first place. "Door, right," he sighed as the rapping continued, bringing him back from his dismal thoughts. "He-" his voice died in his throat as he opened the door to come face to face with none other than Zechs Merquise.

A hand shot out, palm pressing the door open as the smaller youth tried to instinctively shut it again after seeing who it was, a stricken look upon his face. "I'm sorry, Duo… I couldn't wait. I had to see you," Zechs murmured, gently pressing the door open enough to slip in past Duo. He waited patiently as the younger ex-pilot shut the door behind him slowly, obviously using the time to collect himself as much as possible. "Just hear me out, Duo. Please. I know you probably still love Heero, and I know he loves you. But... I can't give you up to him... I thought I could when we first started the ruse, but somewhere along the way, I... I can't give you up, Duo. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You made me live again... You made me love... Yami, she said something that made me think that... If it's possible, would you consider giving us a chance? A real chance this time?" he asked softly, running his knuckles along the boy's cheek tenderly, sighing in relief as Duo's face turned slightly into the caress.

"Zechs, I... I'm sorry for leaving like that," Duo cried, launching himself at the man and burying his face in his chest, arms wrapped around his wait tightly as he clung to him desperately. "I didn't think you wanted me... I didn't want to trap you, to hold you back," he whispered, feeling stupid for having missed the fact that Zechs loved him. If he had only noticed, he would have been able to prevent himself hurting Zechs, the person who had been there for him for the past two years.

"Mmm…. Still dating then?" he asked, nuzzling Duo's cheek with his own, wrapping his own arms around the smaller frame comfortingly, silently vowing never to let go again.

Duo shook his head however at the question, making Zechs pause. "Not still... but we are dating," the Shinigami pilot gave the man a small impish smile, knowing that he had probably made his boyfriend's heart skip a beat in fear. He leaned up to peck his lips lightly in apology, then decided to rain little kisses all over his face to show his happiness.

Zechs chuckled in relief, but that didn't stop him from giving the boy a sharp pinch to punish him for being deliberately cruel with his answer. "Alright, I'll accept that. We're starting over today... But what about your feelings for Heero?" he asked quietly, pulling back slightly from the tight embrace to lock ice blue eyes with violet. He wanted to kick himself for asking, but knew that it had to be done.

"I... I thought I loved him, but... I don't know what happened. I'm happy with you... Maybe, maybe I did love him once, but I think you can only be pushed away so much. I loved him, but that would never have been enough. Some people just don't work out," he smiled, resting his cheek against the strong chest placidly.

The man remained silent for a few long moments, thinking his options over in his head before he tried to work out an answer. "Duo... I'm glad to know that you won't leave me for Heero. That's a big relief for me to hear," he smiled softly, kissing the top of his head. "So the issue of Heero hinges entirely upon Heero... I suppose that we will just have to wait it out with him and see what happens. See if he will give up on his own," he answered, hoping the for his lover's sake, that Heero would be able to possibly work it out in the end that he would just never have the bright eyed youth in his arms. Duo no longer wanted him and that thought alone make Zechs' heart soar. He had won. He had gotten what he wanted. All he had to do was keep his lover safe.

"Mmm... I love you. I don't deserve you, but I'm not stupid enough to make you leave to find someone better," he stated, hugging Zechs tightly once more and leaning up on his tip toes as he pulled the man's face down for a deep kiss.

"Uncle Duo?" a soft feminine voice hesitantly piped up, causing the boy in question to freeze for a moment, lips still pressed against the OZ-officer's. "Uncle Duo? Who's that man?" Maiyumi asked curiously as she stood nearby watching the couple, the front paw of her stuffed bunny, dangling from her hand.

Slowly Duo lowered himself back down to his flat feet, looking over his shoulder at the young girl and giving her a lopsided grin. "This is my boyfriend, Zechs, Mai. He's really nice. You've seen him before. You know how Yam's in that band with me? Well, he is too. He plays the drums," he explained, reaching a hand out to her for her to join them, lifting her up onto his hip when she made her way over.

Impossibly large, grey eyes stared at Zechs for several long moments before she finally spoke to him. "You've killed people... just like Uncle Duo," she commented knowingly, still peering at him as if reading his soul. "I won't tell anyone," she assured him, patting his cheek lightly.

Duo's eyes widened slightly, then snapped up to look at Zechs to see how he was handling the child. "I uh... she's been through a lot... smart kid. Really intuitive," he muttered somewhat hastily, looking as if he was about to die on the spot. She'd done nearly the same thing to him when he had first met her. Yami had taken the news harder than Maiyumi had, which had surprised him. Apparently Maiyumi had different categories of killers and he assumed that the one she had placed them in was alright. He'd seen how she reacted to gunfights on the television, no where near as calm and collected as she was now. He had meant to talk to Yami about it, but at the time it had seemed a fluke, now he wasn't so sure, but he assumed it was her way of showing her acceptance of Zechs.

Zechs could do nothing more than blink for a full minute before he nodded to her, not denying his past, "I was a soldier." He wondered if one of her parents had been killed in the war, or if either had been soldiers. All he knew about them, was that both had died and Yami raised her little sister on her own since her brother was often gone.

"Will he stay too? To protect Maiyumi from the bad killers?" she asked, looking up at both of them curiously, the question causing Duo to look up at Zechs as well, awaiting his answer.

"If Yami is agreeable to it, yes. I will stay the night and protect Maiyumi from the bad killers," he smiled gently, tapping the girl's nose with his finger. He thought it might just be a good idea to stay away from Heero for the night, now that he had seen Duo. For all he knew, the boy might try to shoot him again.

xx

"You're trying to tell me that with all your money, men, and connections that you can't find one single person?" Heero asked Quatre incredulously, Prussian orbs staring at him, daring him to cave in and tell him where Duo was. He knew the boy knew, but as of yet, had been unable to get him to tell him.

"No. What I'm saying is that I refuse to tell you anything, Heero. There's a difference. I've been given orders not to tell you, and quite frankly, I agree with them," he stated firmly, walking off, signaling that he was done with the conversation, whether or not Heero was. He was getting tired of the pilot's insistence upon trying to get him to break down and tell him Duo's whereabouts. He'd already erased the security tapes that would give the guy any information, knowing that he would be thorough enough to check them. Heero now owed him for all the equipment that he had broken in his rage at finding out what Quatre had done.

It had been a close call when Heero had gotten it into his head to go visiting all the members in the band to ask them about where Duo was. Thankfully, Heero had woken up Maiyumi when he had gone to Yami's apartment. Doing so had caused Heero to be banned from the building after the fuss the girl had put up about the incident after he wouldn't leave when she had asked after insisting that Duo wasn't there.

Zechs knew where Duo was, Heero was sure of it, but he wouldn't go ask him. Not when they were both competing for the baka's affection. He knew the man wouldn't tell him anyway, so there really was no point in asking to begin with, which left him at square one, right where he had been three days before. He slammed his fist through the wall in frustration, knowing that Zechs would beat him to Duo. They had a concert the next night and Duo had to be there, Zechs had to be there. They couldn't avoid each other. "Damnit!" he swore, wondering if he should just resort to terrorist tactics and kidnap him from onstage... He sighed, discarding the idea as rash and idiotic. He'd never be able to make it back out unless he strapped a bomb to himself, but Duo would make sure he didn't get outside. If Duo were anyone but a Gundam pilot, it might have been possible.

xx

"Come on Yam! Bus is here!" Duo yelled, picking up his duffel bag in one hand, a water bottle in the other as he headed for the door.

"I'm coming! Hold your horses! Mai's blanket got lost in her be- Wait! Here is it! Coming!" she called running out of the little girl's room, said blanket in hand, two duffel bags thrown over her shoulder which Zechs took from her when she got close enough. "I could have handled them," she protested weakly as she picked up a bag of books for Maiyumi that had been sitting by the door ready to go. The little girl had all of the toys she wanted packed in a small backpack she wore, her bunny once more dangling from her hand.

Avery had already been picked up first, tricked into being on time by stating that he was supposed to be ready to go an hour earlier than he actually was picked up. That way no one had to wait on him like they usually did. They picked Kouma up last since he was on the way to the next venue and because of his mother was always prompt and ready to go earlier than need be.

Yami naturally took the living room in the back with the pullout couch as her bedroom so that she could be close to Maiyumi in case she had any nightmares. She didn't want the girl waking anyone up, nor for it to take her any longer than necessary to deal with them. As much as Duo and Zechs wanted their own room, they didn't have a good enough reason to need one like she did so there was no argument over it. Zechs claimed a middle bunk while Duo claimed the one just above it so that he could be close to him. "Hey, look! I get to be on top, does that make me seme?" he questioned with a grin as he leaned out of his bunk, roughly eye level with his boyfriend.

"Most certainly not. Now come out of there. You're sleeping in that bunk there," he pointed to the one at the head of his own so that they would be on the same level. "I don't want you to get hurt climbing into that or falling out on a sharp turn or anything," he explained, although, really he just wanted to be able to link their hands together as they slept. There were far too many people around however to say that, but Duo didn't seem to argue, instead merely pouting adorably as he climbed out and claimed the bunk indicated. "If anyone will be seme, it will be me," he purring close to the boy's ear, eliciting a shiver down his boyfriend's spine.

"But! But what if I want to be sometime?" he asked a little breathlessly as a tongue traced the shell of his ear, making him suddenly feel a little too warm. He clung to the front of Zechs' sweater, wondering how he could wear such a garment at a time like this... although he was the one doing all the teasing so maybe that was the reason.

Zechs hummed and nibbled on the spot just below the boy's ear as he thought it over. "We'll discuss that another time," he smirked, wrapping his arms around his smaller lover and pulling him closer, letting his lips trail up until they claimed Duo's slightly parted ones, capturing his shuddering breath.

"Maybe Yami really should let you guys have the back room. Geez! Maybe you just need your own private bus so you can molest him wherever you want to," Kouma griped good naturedly at Zechs, causing the man to straighten away from Duo's mouth. "Aw, I'm just kidding. You put on a good show," he grinned, leaning back against the couch and propping his feet up on the coffee table, watching them as if they intended to make out in front of him for show. When Zechs didn't go back to kissing Duo, he flipped on the TV, finally tearing his eyes away from them to something more entertaining.

"Tonight, Duo... after the concert... I have something special planned for us," Merquise murmured quietly against the soft brunette hair, hand trailing up and down the boy's arm soothingly. "Nothing more than you want," he assured gently, pulling back just enough to kiss Duo's forehead. Sure he was hoping that Duo would give himself to him, but he wouldn't push it. If Duo wanted to wait for Heero, he'd let him. It would hurt, but he'd allow it if that was what Duo wanted.

Colour flooded the singer's cheeks at the insinuation, but he nodded nonetheless. "I'd like that," he smiled, reaching up to briefly touch lips with Zechs before he went to join Kouma on the couch, watching cartoons. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he watched the blonde man sit and take out one of his books, flipping to a marked page.

xx

Duo could tell that Heero was nearby. He had yet to see any sign of his presence, but he could feel it once they got to the venue. Heero had something planned, and he had to find a way to stop whatever it was from happening. He didn't want anyone to get hurt, and with Heero, someone always was sacrificed for the mission. He stayed quiet, acting as if nothing were wrong, however he did let Zechs in on his suspicions.

Even once the concert was finished, he didn't feel at ease. Instead, his trepidation only increased. Heero had either not had a chance to make his move, or hadn't been planning one Duo realized as he step foot into the hotel room that he would share with Zechs. As the door shut behind him, the focus of his nerves had taken on an entirely different direction. He was now alone with his boyfriend, whom had earlier given him a rather clear impression of where he hoped the evening would lead to. And he had no intention of disappointing him. Zechs would get what he hoped for, but only because he was willing and eager to give it to him, even more so now, as he looked around the lavish room. A vase of beautiful sunflowers set on the table with a note addressed to him.

He carefully made his way over to the flowers, gingerly picking up the note to read its message. "Sunflowers. They survive off the sun, their face always turned upwards towards the light, their face tracking its motion through the sky. You are my light, and I am those sunflowers. Z," Duo murmured softly to himself, a light smile tugging at the corners of his lips. There was nothing else in the room to symbolize a special evening, but the flowers were enough, more than enough in fact. He appreciated the simplicity of the gesture, not wanting to have been treated like a female, expecting flowers and candles to cover the entire room. Everyone had that and it was far too clichéd for Duo's taste. The sunflowers and Zechs' presence were absolutely perfect and he couldn't have asked for a better ending to the night.

The smile blossomed brighter as he lent back against the strong chest suddenly pressed against his back, warm arms wrapping themselves around his waist. "Thank you," he murmured, turning his head up to meet ice, blue eyes shining with love for him, the street orphan from L2. He'd never imagined his life turning out this way, but it was funny how life turned out sometimes. Just when you thought it was all a waist, something comes around to make it all worthwhile.

**TBC…**


End file.
